The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge preserves a portion of the once vast northern Everglades. It provides habitat and protection for
endangered wildlife such as the snail kite and the wood stork and the formerly endangered American alligator.
Whatever the name, the idea of allowing water from agricultural fields south of Lake Okeechobee to flow back into the lake to be used for environmental releases down the Caloosahatchee River is causing a stir among environmentalists.
With the South Florida Water Management District considering the idea, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners wants the district to look at other options - the district's board of governors will discuss the idea at its monthly meeting Thursday in West Palm Beach.
At issue is the fact that, during extremely dry periods, little fresh water is released from Okeechobee down the Caloosahatchee, so salinity in the river rises, which can cause environmental problems.
Meanwhile, the agriculture industry gets water during dry periods.
Putting water from the Everglades Agricultural Area into the lake would allow water managers to release more water down the river to balance salinity.
County commissioners voted 3-2 last week to send a letter asking the water district to consider different ways to get fresh water to the Caloosahatchee during dry periods.
"The county's letter is saying, 'Make sure you exhaust any other opportunity before looking at something like back-pumping,'" said Kurt Harclerode, operations manager for the county's Division of Natural Resources. "I think that's what the district is doing, looking at any way to provide relief to the Caloosahatchee without impacting other users.".....
We may not be the only ones charmed by a rising sun
Opinion by Dan DeLisi, SWF representative on SFWMD Governing Board.
....
We all know that the long-term solution to this challenge is deep water storage so that fresh water is available for delivery to the estuary, even in times of drought. Construction of Everglades restoration projects, such as the C-43 West Basin Storage Reservoir, and rehabilitation of Lake Okeechobee's Herbert Hoover Dike will eventually provide this water storage and supply. The dilemma is that these federal projects will take decades to implement at a cost of billions of dollars. Simply put, the Caloosahatchee can't wait.
In search of economically viable, technically feasible and immediate interim solutions, District scientists and engineers have devoted countless hours since last summer evaluating strategies for improving dry season conditions in the river and estuary. Few solutions exist. However, by analyzing thousands of computer modeling scenarios, our scientists identified modifications within existing Lake Okeechobee operations that can provide significant benefits to the Caloosahatchee without adversely affecting other ecosystems or permitted water users. ....
The latest spending bill in the House is going to gut critical funding to programs that protect our rivers and clean water. Even worse, the bill and the many riders it includes benefit polluters by reducing enforcement and preventing new rules to reduce pollution. These riders put our clean water at risk.
The proposed bill would drastically cut funds that go directly to the states for clean water infrastructure projects to better manage wastewater and polluted runoff to protect our water. These are vital projects that cash-strapped states cannot afford to do themselves. They not only benefit our rivers and the wildlife that rely on them, they also spur the economy and create real jobs.
This is just one more in the series of attacks on public health, clean water and the environment that we have witnessed all year and needs to be stopped. Please send a message to Congress today and speak up for our clean water.
For the rivers,
Jim Bradley Senior Director, Government Relations
Miss this one? Call to see how you can get involved in the next survey.
Comprehensive Seagrass Restoration Planning in SW Florida
from Sea Grant Law & Policy Journal.
Calusa Blueways Fishing Tournament's Top Prize Is a New Hobie Kayak
The winner of the 2012 Calusa Blueway Fishing Tournament will nab a Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 12 fishing kayak, courtesy of Hobie and Estero River Outfitters at the annual event on Nov.3. Cash prizes will also be available to those who place in the tournament. Rapidly becoming the premier tournament in Southwest Florida, the catch-and-release fishing tournament is expected to draw 75 anglers to Lee County waterways as part of the Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival along the shores of Southwest Florida. Tournament proceeds benefit the Florida Society for Ethical Ecotourism, which is hosting the event with assistance from Florida Sea Grant, Lee County Parks & Recreation and Calusa Blueway volunteers. Click here for tournament details and registration information.
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge is located in the northern portion of the Fakahatchee Strand of the Big Cypress Swamp. Each month from five to eleven Florida panthers den, hunt, and roam within the refuge. Black bear, bobcat, white-tailed deer, Big Cypress fox squirrels and wood stork utilize the refuge. Large concentrations of wading and water birds feed, nest, and roost on the refuge. The refuge is composed of a variety of wetland and upland habitats including pine flatwoods, cypress strands and domes, wet prairies, tropical hardwood hammocks and hydric pinelands. Rare orchids and bromeliads are found throughout the refuge. The Native Orchid Restoration lab is located on the refuge. The goal of the lab is to promote the restoration of native orchids on public lands in south Florida.
Refuge Goals
Provide optimum habitat conditions for the Florida Panther.
Restore conserve the natural diversity, abundance, and ecological function of refuge flora and fauna.
Conduct research, monitoring and evaluations to improve management of flora and fauna on the refuge and within the South Florida ecosystem.
Develop appropriate and compatible wildlife-dependent recreation and environmental education programs.
Promote interagency and private landowner cooperation for the protection and management of natural and cultural resources within southwest Florida.
CREW trail cam photo
ARTHUR R. MARSHALL LOXAHATCHEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SCHEDULED PROGRAMS Full Moon Guided Canoe Trips
Friday, August 31, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Cost for this tour is $10.00 per person besides the regularRefuge entrance fee. (Tour price includes canoe rental; you may not bring your own.) RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
- PLEASE CALL LOXAHATCHEE CANOEING at 561-733-0192.
Swamp Strolls Every Sunday, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Meet a naturalist for a guided tour of the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk.
Early Morning Bird and Butterfly Walks Every Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
40,000 heat records have already been broken this year across the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Here in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the signs of an unbalanced climate system have been felt in recent years not just in heatwaves, but increasingly in the form of unusually severe wind storms. This past weekend's storm brought 80 mph wind gusts that snapped three trees in our backyard like pretzels, even though they were each a foot thick. Once again, my insurance company is teaching me new weather terminolgy to explain the latest climate disasters. A few years ago, the term was "micro-bursts" (not quite tornadoes, but similar impact). Now it is "derecho" (not quite hurricanes, but similar impact.....
The Department of Environmental Protection has published the Notice of Workshop in the Florida Administrative Weekly to accept comments on Chapter 62-330, Florida Administrative Code, regarding statewide environmental resource permitting. The notice also may be found on the Florida Administrative Weekly.
The next rule development workshops will be held on Thurs. Aug 16, 2012, via webinar to be broadcast in multiple locations around the state. The workshop agenda outlines the schedule.
. That site provides a link to a discussion forumwhere individuals can submit comments, including responding to other comments that have been previously posted.
If you have any questions regarding the workshops or remaining on the mailing list, please contact Mary VanTassel or phone 850-245-8486.
Florida's five water management districts have different names for some of their water-use permits, and they apply to different quantities of water use.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday begins holding a series of rule development workshops in 10 cities to improve water-use permitting consistency among the districts including choosing the same names for permits.
A drought across north Florida late last spring and a proposed water-use permit near Silver Springs has focused environmentalists' attention on water use and water planning. Meanwhile, DEP under Gov. Rick Scott has been focused on streamlined permitting and reducing inconsistency among the districts.
The goal of the DEP rule development is to make consumptive-use permitting less confusing, make environmental protection consistent statewide, provide incentives for water conservation, and streamline the process without reducing protection of the environment and other water users, said Janet Llewellyn, policy administrator office in DEP's Office of Water Policy.
Some rules are different among districts because of the differences in natural resources they were written to protect, Llewellyn said. Other rules are different, she said, only because they were developed separately among the districts.
"Those are the ones we are trying to identify, make consistent and improve so it is not only consistent but is the most efficient process we think we can apply to that permit review," Llewellyn said.
DEP is proposing to establish a general permit by rule that receives automatic approval if standard conditions are met, she said. To qualify, the withdrawal must be for less than 100,000 gallons per day. A more stringent threshold may be required in sensitive resource areas.
All other applications will require individual permits. Each district board still can determine which size or type of individual permits will be issued by staff and which will be issued by the board.
The department found that many water-use permits across the state are for less than 100,000 gallons per day. But the total water use was small compared to the fewer permits for millions of gallons of daily water use, Llewellyn said.
Audubon Florida says a revised state rule should include specific requirements for water efficiency in all permits for more than 1 million gallons per day. Those permits should allow for public notice, a 15-day comment period and approval at district board meetings.
Improving consistency can improve environmental protection if more attention is paid to larger water users rather than to smaller users who don't pose an environmental threat, said Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon Florida.
"If it is just streamlining for the sake of streamlining -- less government -- then that's not a good thing," he said. "For the purpose ... of focusing government attention on the bigger problems, that is a good thing."
There's simply no justice sometimes. This wonderful company, the Highlands Ranch Mitigation Bank, is just trying to make a buck by protecting Florida's wetlands so that other developers can destroy them, only to be stymied by paper-pushing, tree-hugging bureaucrats all lathered up over stuff like following the law.
It's just not fair.
As reported by the Tampa Bay Times' Craig Pittman, all Highlands Ranch wants is a permit to convert 1,575 acres of a pine plantation in Clay County into a wetlands mitigation bank. Is this too much to ask?
After all, throughout Florida history, wetlands have been the bane of developers. You can't build something on a swamp. But because of those pesky little issues like recharging the aquifer, the source of Floridians' drinking water, the state decided maybe it should try to save some and created a program for folks like Highlands Ranch. Landowners make promises to maintain or restore wetlands, creating wetlands mitigation credits, which can then be sold for as much as $100,000 per credit to developers who want to destroy wetlands elsewhere.
If only the Department of Environmental Protection's forces of tyranny had not stepped in. The agency's top wetlands expert, Connie Bersok, refused to approve the Highlands Ranch permit after reviewing application documents that suggested Highlands Ranch had little interest in actually restoring any wetlands. Bersok's inner Amy Winehouse kicked in and she said, "No, no, no."
And so what if Highlands Ranch didn't want to have to put up a $1.5 million bond to guarantee its performance, a routine requirement of every other mitigation bank seeking to do business in the state? The $1.5 million, the company argued, would be a cruel financial hardship in guaranteeing its performance.
The company had a point, of course. The Highlands Ranch Mitigation Bank is a joint venture between the Carlyle Group and a Jacksonville company. The Carlyle Group, which has in the past included people like former President George H.W. Bush and former Secretary of State James Baker on its board of directors, only has a lousy stinking $159 billion in assets, with investments around the globe.
How could they possibly come up with the $1.5 million bond without imploding the rest of the multinational corporation?
Highlands Ranch claimed the state should grant it 425 wetlands mitigation credits. But those nitpicking bureaucrats at DEP just rubbed salt in the wound. Since state law requires them to grant credits based on whether wetlands are actually maintained or would be restored, they would only approve 193 credits.
Would this heavy-handedness ever end?
There was only one way for these poor, defenseless victims at Highlands Ranch to resist this yoke of oppression. They hired a lobbyist - Edward "Ward" Blakely Jr., defender of democracy.
Ah, Kismet. Blakely and DEP Secretary Herschel Vinyard once lived near each other in Jacksonville and Blakely served as the Jacksonville Port Authority lobbyist when Vinyard also served on the board. The two men have several other Jacksonville political connections.
Now, don't get all cynical here and begin to think that maybe some cronyism might be in play. Tut-tut. There's nothing to see here. Highlands Ranch was dealt a Bersok. They raised the ante with a Blakely. Top DEP officials insist nothing whatsoever untoward occurred simply because Highlands Ranch went out and hired a fancy-pants lobbyist - although no one can recall that ever happening before on a permit issue.
DEP Deputy Secretary Jeff Littlejohn assures us that politics has played no role in the permitting dispute. Whew! That's a relief. Why if Blakely and Vinyard found themselves in the same room, they averted their eyes, with nary an air-kiss passing between them. Instead it was Littlejohn who met with Blakely - a lot.
Eventually Vinyard - no doubt after many sleepless nights - was persuaded by Littlejohn, who was persuaded by Blakely, to regard the Highlands Ranch project as a revolutionary new pilot program to explore different and creative ways to apply mitigation bank permits.
And can't we all agree that when it comes to Florida's environmental laws, growth management issues and wetlands preservation, with the right Rolodex, the state is awash in creative solutions to vexing bureaucratic problems?
Thursday, September 13, 2012 from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center (75 Taylor St, Punta Gorda)
The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) is pleased to host a conservation lands stewardship conference for everyone interested in stewardship of conservation lands. The CHNEP is hosting this program to help its partners in their efforts to protect the natural environment of Florida from Venice to Bonita Springs to Winter Haven and fulfill the CHNEP management plan. Thanks to Charlotte County for donating the use of the facility and to Mosaic for sponsoring the conference. Conservation lands increase the quality of life and enhance the tax base of the adjacent private lands. They provide essential habitat for native species, allow water to flow naturally on the surface and to aquifers - cleansing and storing water as it moves - and they protect human development as the mangroves did during Hurricane Charley. Land can be conserved through purchase and by conservation easements by citizens, jurisdictions, agencies, land trusts and others. The program includes presentations on the state of conservation lands in southwest Florida, partnership strategies, economics and conservation, creative ways to engage the public and new technology to use in the field for monitoring and research. A draft agenda is provided below. Visit
Registration: By Sept. 5, please register by completing the online form on the website. There is no fee to participate but we do ask that you register by Sept. 5. to ensure adequate meeting space and food are provided!
This page outlines several south Florida ecosystem restoration projects that were not authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (WRDA), the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). They are however interrelated to the overall efforts to restore the south Florida ecosystem.
C-111 South Dade Project C&SF Non-CERP This project enhances freshwater wetlands and improved freshwater flows in the Southern Glades and Model Lands in southern Miami-Dade County. It improved the hydrology of Taylor Slough and coastal marshes of northeastern Florida Bay. The C-111 South Dade project includes a state expedited component. Preliminary design for the Frog Pond Impoundment is complete. This will reduce seepage from Taylor Slough to the lower C-111 canal system. http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Divisions/Planning/Branches/Environmental/ Projects_C111.htm
Everglades Construction Project The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is responsible for projects which include but are not limited to the construction of stormwater treatment areas, hydropattern restorations, water diversions, and other improvements. The SFWMD is one of the state's five water management districts. It is the regional governmental agency responsible for water quality, flood control, water supply and environmental restoration in 16 counties, from Orlando to the Florida Keys. The Everglades Construction Project is one of these elements that made a contribution to the Everglades Program.
Florida Keys Water Quality Improvements Program (FKWQIP) On December 21, 2001, Public Law 106-554 authorized the Corps of Engineers to provide technical and financial assistance to carryout projects for the planning, design and construction of treatment works to improve water quality in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The primary purpose of this effort is to improve water quality in the Florida Keys, by implementation of several wastewater and stormwater master plans previously prepared for Monroe County and various municipalities within Monroe County.
Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation Everglades and South Florida The Corps of Engineers is strengthening the 143 mile dike that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. It is an integral part of the C&SF Project. Construction is now under way on the most vulnerable southeast section. The project is expected to span two decades.
Kissimmee River Restoration Project (KRR) The KRR project is intended to restore over 40 square miles of river and floodplain ecosystem including the 43 miles of meandering river channel and 27,000 acres of wetlands. Restoration efforts will re-establish and environment conductive to the fauna and flora that existed there prior to the 1960s, when the river was dredged, straightened and widened to provide flood protection. http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Divisions/Everglades/Branches/ProjectExe/ Sections/UECKLO/KRR.htm
Lakeside Ranch STA - Part of the Taylor Creek /Nubbin Slough Storage and Treatment Area State of Florida This project. includes areas north of Lake Okeechobee and Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough Reservoirs, the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Stormwater Treatment facilities, and modifications to the Lake Istokpoga Regulation Schedule (Highlands County tributary).
Long Term Plan for Achieving Water Quality Goals in the Everglades Protection Area Projects State of Florida This is largely a State of Florida effort to ensure that all surface water discharges entering the Everglades Protection Area meet water quality standards, in accordance with Florida's Everglades Forever Act. There are many projects planned to achieve this, including the STAs. The Corps and others are partnering with the state to achieve these standards. The plan is revised in an adaptive manner to ensure new information is included.
Miami-Dade County Regional Canal Study The purpose of the Miami-Dade County Regional Canal Study is to determine whether modifications should be made to the existing Central and Southern Florida Project to provide flood damage reduction and solutions to other related water resource problems within Miami-Dade County.
Modified Water Deliveries to Everglades National Park (MWD) The overall purpose of the Modified Waters Delivery to Everglades National Park project is to restore the natural hydrologic conditions in Everglades National Park, which was altered by the construction of roads, levees, and canals. There are four major components of MWD: 8.5 Square Mile Area Flood mitigation, Tamiami Trail Modifications, Conveyance and Seepage Control Features, and Combined Operation Plan. All four components are necessary to provide substantial flow increases to Everglades National Park.
Seminole Big Cypress Reservation Water Conservation Plan CRITICAL PROJECT Everglades and South Florida The Seminole Big Cypress Reservation Water Conservation Plan is a comprehensive watershed management system designed to achieve environmental restoration on the Seminole Tribes Big Cypress Basin Reservation, the Big Cypress National Preserve, and the Everglades Protection Area. The project will reduce flood damage and promote water conservation. The Seminole Tribe will construct an expansion of conveyance canals in the eastern basin of the Big Cypress Reservation to transport water from Confusion Corner, where the SFWMD will deliver the Tribe's water entitlement through a new SFWMD pump station. The canals will carry the water to the Reservation's west basin, where the Corps will construct water storage cells and water resource areas. http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Divisions/Planning/Branches/Environmental/ Projects_Critical.htm
West Palm Beach Canal/Stormwater Treatment Area 1-E C&SF Non-CERP This project provides flood control, water quality and water supply to the C-51 basin in Palm Beach County. One component is Stormwater Treatment Area 1-East (STA - 1E). This is complete, but repairs are needed in one area of the project for it to be fully functional. These repairs will be made by the Corps of Engineers in 2009 and 2010.
Please suggest that members of your organization sign up for the Eco-Voice Daily Digest to keep up on news about environmental issues affecting South Florida. Delivered to their inbox each morning by 6 AM, the Eco-Voice Daily Digest gives them details of meetings and conferences, links to articles, forums and advocacy opportunities for a broad range of environmental topics as well as some great photos from Mark Renz. If you post details of your events/meetings and links to articles of interest to the Eco-Voice Facebook page you multiply your outreach.
Winner, Dragonfly pole-vaulting event
Mark Renz photo
Underscoring the state's commitment to Greater Everglades ecosystem restoration, the Florida Legislature in 2007 expanded the Lake Okeechobee Protection Act to strengthen protection for the Northern Everglades. This is being achieved by restoring and preserving the Lake Okeechobee watershed and the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries. The legislation required watershed plans for Lake Okeechobee (including Fisheating Creek), the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers and their estuaries.
Recognizes that the Lake Okeechobee, Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie watersheds are critical water resources of the State
Builds upon and consolidates numerous restoration activities into a comprehensive approach
Expands use of the Save Our Everglades Trust Fund to include Northern Everglades restoration and extends it through 2020
Initial phases of these plans are now being implemented, as is planning for feasibility studies of sub-basins within each plan. Details of each of these plans, developed in 2007 and 2008 in partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as well as with stakeholders and members of the public, are listed below.
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